The new 2022 Grand Cherokee is fresh, modern, and the most off-road capable it has ever been
by Sidd Dhimaan, onJeep launched the fifth-gen of one of its most successful models, the Grand Cherokee, last month. The SUV will ride on a new platform that so far underpins just one other vehicle – the recently launched three-row version of the same SUV, the Grand Cherokee L. Apart from this, the 2022 Grand Cherokee also comes with updated exterior, new tech features inside the cabin, new drive systems, and the most important of all, a new hybrid engine that marks the seconds 4xe model in Jeep’s lineup after the Wrangler. The 2022 Grand Cherokee will arrive later this year and the prices for the same will be revealed then.
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2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee
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Year:2022
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Make:
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Model:
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Engine:V8
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Transmission:Eight-speed Automatic
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Horsepower @ RPM:357
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Torque @ RPM:390
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Displacement:5.7 L
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Price:36000 (Est.)
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car segment:
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size:
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Purpose:
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body style:
How Many Trims Will Be Offered On The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
Jeep will offer the 2022 Grand Cherokee in seven trims to start with:
- Laredo
- Altitude
- Limited
- Overland
- Trailhawk
- Summit
- Summit Reserve
The SRT and Trackhawk trims could be offered down the line. Perhaps for the next model year.
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee - Exterior
The fifth-gen 2022 Grand Cherokee is underpinned on a new platform. Even the Grand Cherokee L is based on an extended version of the same platform. So far, no other SUV makes use of this architecture. The new Grand Cherokee looks handsome from all angles. Forgive me for being a little biased when it comes to the looks because I absolutely loved it.
The signature seven-slat grille with the ‘Jeep’ branding on the hood lip is present this time around as well. Most of the elements look sleeker and well-chiseled for a modern appearance. It is bound to age well. The track is widened by 1.4 inches for better handling and the roof is lowered by 0.4 inches to improve the aerodynamics. However, the lowered roof doesn’t hamper the headroom or the cargo space inside. Other aero elements include:
- New active grille shutters
- Front-wheel spats
- Air curtains
- Hood aero flick
- Rear vertical-pillar spoilers
A gloss black roof comes standard on the Trailhawk, Summit, and Summit Reserve, and is optional on the Overland trim. Jeep also offers a different set of wheels on every trim (eight overall). They vary from 17- to 21 inches and are offered in different finishes. The same goes with tires. Jeep offers Goodyear, Michelin, Pirelli, and Continental rubber.
How Big Is The 2022 Grand Cherokee?
The 2022 Grand Cherokee measures 193.5 inches in length, 84.6 inches in width, and 70.8 inches in height. Get the air suspension and the height increases by 0.1 inches.
The ground clearance varies trim- and engine option-wise. With the standard suspension, the Grand Cherokee sits 8.4 inches off the ground. If you have the air suspension, it can be lifted up to 10.9 inches on the standard trims and up to 11.3 inches on the Trailhawk.
| Length | 193.5 |
|---|---|
| Width | 84.6 |
| Height (standard) | 70.8 |
| Height (w/ air suspension) | 70.9 |
| Ground Clearance (standard) | 8.4 |
| Ground Clearance (w/ air suspension) | 10.9 |
| Ground Clearance (Trailhawk) | 11.3 |
How Much Does The 2022 Grand Cherokee Weigh?
The Grand Cherokee is the lightest in the two-wheel-drive Laredo trim with the 3.6-liter V-6 under the hood. It weighs 4,238 pounds here. The heaviest non-4xe model is the Summit trim with the 5.7-liter V-8. It comes with the four-wheel-drive system as standard and weighs 5,045 pounds.
How Much Can The 2022 Grand Cherokee Tow And Haul?
The Grand Cherokees equipped with the 3.6-liter V-6 Pentastar mill can tow up to 6,200 pounds (with both, the V-6 and the V-8), whereas the V-8-equipped SUVs can tow up to 7,200 pounds.
The payload capacity is the least in the case of the Trailhawk model – 1,147 pounds – irrespective of the engine you choose. The best payload capacity is on the base Laredo trim with the two-wheel-drive system and the V-6 mill – 1,283 pounds.
Off-Road Credibility
On the standard suspension setups, the approach angle is 20.5 degrees, the breakover angle 19.1 degrees, and the departure angle 26.6 degrees.
With the air suspension, it varies on every trim. The best angles are on the Trailhawk trim, wherein the approach angle is rated at 35.7 degrees, breakover angle at 24.4 degrees, and departure angle at 30.2 degrees.
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Interior
The upholstery options and themes are yet to be announced. However, there are a lot of changes and new niceties inside. The HVAC vents are slimmer and the center console is redesigned with new switches and more storage spaces. The front seats are 16-way adjustable on the top-spec model and also offer massage functions. Heated and vented seats are available for both rows. LED lighting inside the cabin is standard on all the Grand Cherokee trims, whereas five-color ambient lighting is available on the top trims.
As for the tech improvements, there is a new 10.1-inch digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel. There’s also a similar-sized touchscreen infotainment system on the center console. The touchscreen runs on the company’s UConnect 5 system that supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 10-inch head-up display can also be had.
Jeep has also offered a new interactive display for the front passenger which measures 10.25 inches; even bigger than the other two screens on the dash. There’s a rear-seat entertainment system as well with FireTV built-in. For the audiophiles, there’s a new McIntosh system available. This is a 950W, 17-channel 19-speaker setup.
How Spacious Is The 2022 Grand Cherokee?
In the first row, the 2022 Grand Cherokee offers headroom of 39.9 inches, legroom of 41.3 inches, shoulder room of 59.2 inches, and hip room of 57.4 inches. In the second row, you have 39.4 inches of headroom, 38.2 inches of legroom, 58 inches of shoulder room, and 56. 3 inches of hip room.
| First-Row (inches) | Second-Row (inches) | |
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| Headroom | 39.9 | 39.4 |
| Legroom | 41.3 | 38.2 |
| Shoulder room | 59.2 | 58 |
| Hiproom | 57.4 | 56.3 |
How Much Cargo Space Does The 2022 Grand Cherokee?
With all the seats in place, you have 37.7 cubic feet of space at your disposal. Flip the second row and the space increases to 70.8 cubic feet.
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Drivetrain
The Jeep Grand Cherokee comes with three engine options in total. Two of these are the same that are seen in the current model – the V-6 and the V-8 - whereas the third drivetrain is the plug-in hybrid.
The 3.6-liter V-6 Pentastar engine makes 293 horses at 6,400 rpm and 260 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. The other option is the 5.7-liter V-8 mill that puts out 357 ponies at 5,150 rpm and 390 pound-feet of twist at 4,250 rpm.
Power is routed to the wheels via an eight-speed automatic TorqueFlite gearbox in both cases. The V-8 engine is optional on the Trailhawk, Overland, and Summit trims.
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Fuel Economy
With the 3.6-liter V-6 engine under the hood, the two-wheel-drive Grand Cherokee delivers 19 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 21 mpg combined. With the four-wheel-drive model, this dips to 18 mpg in the city, 25 mpg on the highway, but the same 21 mpg combined.
The 5.7-liter V-8 is available only with a four-wheel-drive system. It delivers 14 miles in the city, 22 miles on the highway, and 17 miles combined for every gallon of fuel consumed.
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Four-Wheel-Drive Systems
The SUV also comes with three four-wheel-drive systems, just like the Grand Cherokee L.
The base is called Quadra-Trac I, the next one is Quadra-Trac II, and the most hardcore option is Quadra-Drive II.
Jeep didn’t delve too deep into this, but in all likelihood, it will be the same application as is in the Grand Cherokee L.
The base system is the Quadra-Trac I that comes with a single-speed active transfer case. It features a set of sensors that help adjust the torque distribution and make corrections if there’s a tire slip. The system can send 100-percent of torque to the axle which needs it the most.
The Quadra-Trac II setup comes with a two-speed active transfer case with low-range gear. It is also equipped with Active 4-Low torque control with a 2.72:1 gear ratio. This will be immensely helpful if you plan on taking your SUV off the roads more often than not.
The full-fledged system is the Quadra-Drive II. It features the same stuff as the Quadra-Drive II along with a rear electronic limited-slip differential.
All the systems come with a front-axle disconnect. The front axle will disconnect automatically when the SUV senses that the road condition doesn’t require an all-wheel drive. Apart from this, the 2022 Grand Cherokee comes with the Selec-Terrain system that offers five available terrain modes – Auto, Sport, Rock, Snow, Mud/Sand.
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Suspension
As for the suspension setup, Jeep offers the Grand Cherokee with an optional Quadra-Lift air suspension. It comes with electronic semi-active damping and offers up to 11.3 inches of ground clearance and 24 inches of water fording. It can automatically adjust or allow you to control it manually. There are five height settings for optimum ride performance, which aren’t mentioned for the Grand Cherokee yet, but are available for the Grand Cherokee L. Here’s how it works on the bigger SUV:
- Normal Ride Height: The default setting wherein the Jeep sits at 8.3 inches off the ground
- Off-Road 1: Lifts the vehicle by 1.6 inches from Normal Ride Height
- Off-Road 2: Lifts the SUV by 2.4 inches from Normal Ride Height
- Aero Mode: Lowers the SUV by 0.8 from Normal Ride Height
- Park Mode: Lowers the SUV by 1.8 from Normal Ride Height
2022 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk
Jeep calls it the most capable Grand Cherokee, and from the looks of it, it isn’t wrong. It comes with a ton of off-road equipment and other features. Here’s what all it includes:
- 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires
- Integrated off-road camera
- Quadra-Lift air suspension with up to 11.3 inches of ground clearance
- Improved approach, departure, and breakover angles
- Quadra-Drive II active transfer case with rear eLSD and Selec-Terrain
- Sway-bar disconnect for improved articulation and traction
- Selec-Speed Control to rock crawl in 4LO
- High-strength steel skid plates
- Red tow hooks
- Glare-proof black-and-red matte “Trailhawk” hood decal
How Much Does The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Cost?
Jeep is yet to announce the prices of the 2022 Grand Cherokee. However, we expect a slight hike on the base trims and a higher premium as you climb up the hierarchy. Here’s how the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee is priced:
- Laredo E - $34,970
- Freedom - $37,410
- Laredo X - $38,715
- Limited - $41,195
- 80th Anniversary - $43,485
- Limited X - $46,045
- Trailhawk - $46,395
- Overland - $47,735
- High Altitude - $50,680
- Summit - $54,085
- SRT - $70,185
- Trackhawk - $88,690
The prices are for 4x2 models, except for Trailhawk, SRT, and Trackhawk, which come only in the four-wheel-drive avatars.
Is The 2022 Grand Cherokee Better Than The Toyota 4Runner?
If there’s any other mid-size SUV that’s comparable to the Grand Cherokee in terms of ruggedness and off-road cred, it’s the Toyota 4Runner. The 4Runner has been around for a long time now and it isn’t even as refined or has the finesse of its younger rivals; but it is still going strong. For the 2022 model year, the automaker has introduced a new TRD Sport model that was earlier present only on the Tacoma. It comes with 20-inch wheels, adaptive dampers, etc. If you plan on using this as a true-blue off-roader, then the TRD Off-Road and the TRD Pro trims are your best bets.
All the 4Runners are powered by the same 4.0-liter, V-6 engine that makes 270 horses and 278 pound-feet of twist. A five-speed automatic gearbox powers the wheels. It looks pretty much the same on the outside as it did a decade back. However, LED headlights are now standard across the range. The interior doesn’t look up to the mark, but hey, the 4Runner is still selling well and is one of the strongest performers in the segment.
The 2022 Toyota 4Runner starts at $37,305.
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Safety and Security Features
Standard safety features across the lineup include:
- Full-Speed Collision Warning with Active Braking and Pedestrian/Cyclist Detection
- Rear Cross Path detection
- Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go
- Active Lane Management
- LaneSense Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist
- Advanced Brake Assist
- Blind-spot Monitoring
- ParkView rear backup camera
- ParkSense rear park assist sensors with stop
- Switch-activated electric park brake
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Additional available safety features include:
- Night Vision Camera with pedestrian and animal detection
- Intersection Collision Assist
- Drowsy Driver Detection system
- Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist and new Traffic Sign Recognition
- New 360-degree surround-view camera system with front and rear washers
New Active Driving Assist (Level 2) hands-on-wheel and eyes-on-road automated driving is also available
When Is The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Coming?
Jeep noted the 2022 Grand Cherokee will arrive in winter this year. It will be manufactured at the automaker’s Detroit Assembly Complex, Michigan.
